I feel aging (by number) but fit (by physique) batsmen are better for India than just young batsmen, or any young player picked for India. Their emphasis on youth will bite them harder than the poor form of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir. Already the slow bowlers are mere schoolboys in Tests, and the batsmen, not much better.

India's middle-order should have Paras Dogra, Mohammed Kaif and Mithun Manhas, with Badrinath as a reserve. These youngsters should tour with India A and (believe it or not) play plenty of IPL/other T20 leagues, where they face international quality bowlers that Ranji will never provide.

Prince mentions Manoj Tiwary, who's definitely a beast in domestic cricket. In the much-maligned IPL, however, he was a mouse against raw pace. Maybe in four years, he's improved, but he's still patchy.

Ginger's Top Five looks good, but Rahane as opener now is a far bigger risk than Sehwag was in those days, or even Sehwag now. Rahane is an occasional opener, and will be found out- like he has been in ODIs. He isn't even a striker to make up for it on flat decks like Sehwag. Otherwise, my lack of optimism about India's youth notwithstanding, it's a good top five. Push Uday Kaul at six and it is a good top six.

"Talent is nothing without opportunity"
"You're not remembered for aiming at the target, but hitting it"

Mukund, Vijay/Chand, Pujara, Rahane, Kohli, Jadeja as a top 6 for me. The keeper bats at 7. Rohit Sharma and M.Tiwary in reserve. I like Pandey too, but I doubt he'll ever catch the selector's attention unless he beasts it for a couple of seasons.

Don't mind Kaif and Badri as short-term solutions, and probably one of Karthik/Saha/Goswami to take over from MSD as keeper. Really no shortage of batting talent tbh. They just need some gametime.

Yeah same with mine. Happy to give Mukund another chance. Yeah he wasn't amazing in his test appearances so far but he has been judged due to his performances in England against a seriously good bowling line-up.

Dheeraj Jadhav should fit in as an immediate replacement for Gambhir. He has over 500 runs this season opening the innings for Assam. Shikhar Dhawan, slightly less (437). Mukund, on the other hand, isn't scoring enough at present.

Also check up on Paras Dogra, five centuries in over 700 runs. Mohammed Kaif is getting runs where wickets tumble, and is also in the 500 club. Knocking on the 700 register with nearly a fifty or hundred every innings is Mithun Manhas- with two centuries and five over 50- seven innings out of eleven over 50.

And now with Sachin's retirement, Gambhir and Sehwag out of the side a new Era is almost beginning for Indian test batting and team as a whole.

All of Kohli, Pujara and Sharma have shown some potential now in tests in terms of performances and established their places for some time atleast. While Dhawan and Vijay are the current placeholders as far as the opening slots are concerned.

Will be interesting who takes over the mantle to be the main man now ?

Dhawan: Don't rate him that high tbh. It's not just his dodgy technique but his temperament that worries me. His dismissals this series were so casual it seemed as though he didn't really care about succeeding here.

Pujara - Good enough to make a world XI imo. Although he hasn't been tested overseas yet apart from that South African tour, I think he'll do ok away from home. Looks as though he has a strong enough foundation to succeed everywhere but let's see.

Kohli - I'm hoping he starts to convert some of these small innings into big ones more often. His Australia tour certainly showed he has promise but he really needs to start delivering now. Love his passion and his douchey attitude and think he'll end up the second best of the generation after Pujara.

Rohit Sharma - He's really won me over in the last few weeks. Regardless of how poor west indies' attack was, he scored a brilliant ton to rescue us in the first match, and his maturity as he shielded the tail in the second test was quite awesome to watch. Too early to say but I've always thought he shouldve been given a shot at tests a long time ago.

Originally Posted by weldone

Wow baby, that gave me an orgasmic pleasure!

Originally Posted by ajaagarkarajaaja

All Prasie to Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar, the pride of Mumbai, the terminator at Adelaide.

Originally Posted by VoL

I've joined this forum, just so that i can agree with OverratedSanity...

And smalishah's avatar is the most classy one by far Jan certainly echoes the sentiments of CW

Yeah we don't crap in the first world; most of us would actually have no idea what that was emanating from Ajmal's backside. Why isn't it roses and rainbows like what happens here? PEWS's retort to Ganeshran on Daemon's picture depicting Ajmal's excreta

We are gonna learn a lot about these guys in the next year, but it's a very exciting time, Pujara looks like the kind of guy that is prepared to work really hard to correct imperfections, so I'd back him to learn how to play overseas, Kohli has already had some success but Rohit and the openers are the big questions, I'm backing them to do ok, although Vijay worries me tbh

Originally Posted by Dawood Ahmad

Hamish, no body knows even name of him
But Ponting, there's great fame of him

How can I not? He's a douche but immensely talented as well... And he's more of the arrogant sort of douche who thinks he's awesome rather than the whiny the whole world hates me sort like Watson.

In the team I'd rather have a douchebag who cares a lot about his game than a nice guy who doesn't give a ****

And Viv loves him too so haters can gagf

As much as I love Viv the batsman I have difficulty giving him the benefit of doubt in his ravings during the IPL and on Indian cricket in general recently. Comes off as a real "uthau' (lifter), if you know what I mean

We are gonna learn a lot about these guys in the next year, but it's a very exciting time, Pujara looks like the kind of guy that is prepared to work really hard to correct imperfections, so I'd back him to learn how to play overseas, Kohli has already had some success but Rohit and the openers are the big questions, I'm backing them to do ok, although Vijay worries me tbh

Definitely, and work for his runs out in the middle too. Could be hard to get out as we get further down the track...